Billionare Bum
by Marie Nomad
Summary: Industrialist, visionary, hero, he used to be all those things but thanks to alcoholism, he lost it all, even Pepper. Now, Pepper finds Tony again completely changed. Will she help him find his way back from the bottom?
1. A late night meeting with a bum

This takes place after Iron Man 2. It's based off a period in the comics in the 1980s. All characters belong to Marvel Comics. Thanks for LightGuard and SilverHeart09 for their betareading help! Reviews help me write better.

Billionaire Bum

By Marie Nomad

It was cold and dark as Pepper made her way to the diner. She wrapped her coat tight around her as she studied her surroundings. The neighborhood looked deserted with only a bum sleeping in front of one of the windows. It was a sad sight really. He was huddled up in a blanket and is nearly in the entrance. Slowly, she tiptoed past him and walked in. The diner was much warmer and looked just as sad. She glanced at her watch. She was early and Tony wasn't here.

"I will wait." She vowed. Hopefully, Tony will be here on time. If he wasn't here, she would leave; a little sadder, a little more disappointed, and just about out of hope. Ever since she got that phone call for her birthday, yesterday, she was excited. Tony was still alive and he sounded sober, more sober than the last time she saw him.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" A middle aged waitress asked.

"Just coffee, please." Pepper said as she glanced up to see the bum walking in. A shadow covered his face, he looked crazy. She didn't need him to be around to scare Tony away. Or he might fight Tony.

"Hi, Ed." The waitress greeted the bum and went into the kitchen for the coffee.

Pepper did her best to try to become invisible. The bum just walked closer. She shifted to the edge of the booth seat, she didn't want to be close to him. The bum paused. "You know, if you want to stay away from me, you should have stayed in California."

Pepper's face paled and she spun around to see the bum completely. "Tony?" She could not believe it. How could she not recognize her old boyfriend? She had seen Tony in all sorts of disguises, he had his hair dyed in many different colors, he had even spent a couple of days posing as a black guy with an Australian accent. In all those changes, she knew it was him. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't..." She felt ashamed. How could she dismiss him so easily? Did she really expect him to be dressed in his Armani suit and looked like nothing happened? "I'm sorry."

"I'm used to it. I saw you come in but I was scared that you might... I'm not at my best here."

"No kidding." Pepper watched Tony sit down across from her, keeping a respectable distance away. She studied him. He looked fairly thin, with long streaks of gray in his hair. Life on the streets aged him more than being held captive in Afghanistan. His eyes are sharp, not fogged up by alcohol and he seemed to be doing better. "You look..."

"Sober?"

"Healthy. And yes, sober."

"Yeah, I've been sober for about a month. It was Hell and a half. But I made it so far." Tony closed his eyes. "I... didn't think you would come. I called you just to let you know that I'm alive and that I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you again and yet..."

She took his hand. "I'm glad you called. How did you get sober?"

"I stopped drinking." Tony shrugged.

"It's not that easy and you know it. I did research on alcoholism. Alcoholics who withdraw could suffer all sorts of things: shakes, hallucinations, confusion and even seizures. They often have to detox under medical supervision."

Tony looked down. "Okay, after I decided to stop drinking I went to a guy who helped me. He runs a center for homeless alcoholics. He didn't ask questions when he saw my chest. He helped me detox and then sent me to an AA meeting place. They really helped me. I never told them who I was, just generalities like that I had problems with my dad and women liking me for what I am, not who I am. Well... most women." He winked at her.

Pepper just shook her head and smirked slightly. "Nice to see that you haven't completely changed."

"Here's your coffee." The waitress said as she handed the two coffees. "Your girl?" She asked Tony.

"Someone from a past life." Tony answered.

"Good. Nice to see things are looking up for you, Ed." The waitress smiled at him and then left.

"Ed?"

"I go by that to help hide from everyone. Besides, I feel like an 'Ed'."

"Oh." Pepper knew that Tony had never liked his middle name. He said that 'Edward' was a stupid middle name even if it's not embarrassing. To hear him go by that must mean that he really hated himself. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Yeah. She actually owns the place but she loves to be a waitress late at night. We have an arrangement. I fix the appliances and they give me free food. And I just fix them, I don't make any unnecessary upgrades."

Pepper smiled slightly as she took a sip of her coffee. Tony would think of something like that. If he's one thing, it's creative. "This coffee's good."

"I might have upgraded the coffee maker..." Tony admitted as he put in his usual sugar. "But it's a necessary upgrade."

"I believe you." Pepper sighed as she took another sip. She could tell that he was holding something back but she was just content with him being here and alive and sober.

"What about you? What happened to you after..." Tony trailed off. Pepper nodded. She had left Tony when she gave him an ultimatum, her or the bottle. He had chosen the bottle. She handed him her resignation. If only she had stayed, she could have kept Tony from losing his company, his fortune, and they would not be here.

"I... I worked for the Rand Corporation as Danny Rand's PA. It's a good company."

"I see. He treats you well?" Tony looked down and tried to hide the look of jealousy in his face.

"He's okay." Danny Rand was nothing like Tony and yet has the same job. He was a superhero like Tony was only he relied solely on martial arts which he learned as a child. He meditates and never drinks or does drugs. He had even taught her a few moves to defend herself.

"Good. I'm... glad. Really." Tony fidgeted with the coffee mug in front of him.

"He has a girlfriend, her name is Misty. Danny and I are friends. That's it." Pepper clarified. The last thing she wanted was to drive Tony back to the bottle.

"Oh... of course. Yeah... I didn't mean to sound jealous. You are your own woman, you can do whatever you want. I... I... just want you to be happy. I didn't know what I was thinking. I-I mean... I don't want to drive you away again. We don't have to be the way we were before. I get that. All I want... is to just to be with you. We don't have to..." Tony was fumbling. The last time he acted like this in front of her was the day before the Hammer Incident. He promptly buried his face in his hands."Who am I kidding? I'm a bum! I have no money. I have no place to stay. I haven't had a bath in days. I have nothing. I-"

Pepper promptly grabbed Tony and kissed him. Despite the fact that he looked so thin, he still weighed a lot. After a long minute, she let go and Tony took a deep breath. "You make a good point, Miss Potts." Tony admitted.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

"Tony... I know that things are bad. Really bad. But you are not alone. You have friends who are really worried about you: Rhodey, Happy, Natasha, Steve, Hank, Bruce, Clint, Janet, even Jarvis and Dummy. They are all waiting for you to come back."

Tony blinked. "Jarvis and Dummy? They're okay?"

"Well... Fury had confiscated them after you disappeared and had them working at the Avengers Mansion. Hank is fascinated by them. Although, Dummy is constantly looking out the front door."

"I can never predict what that robot will do." Tony ran his hand through his longish hair. "I was afraid that he had ended up in a junkyard."

"Nope. He's still waiting for you."

"I want to be Iron Man again. Being Iron Man made me feel invincible, powerful, like I had a purpose. But, it might drive me back to drinking and I don't want that."

"Since when is Tony Stark afraid of taking a chance? You built new technology with only a box of scraps. You fought real gods. You taught Captain America how to use a Blackberry! If you can handle all of that, you can handle your drinking problem!" Pepper let loose a speech that she had mentally prepared for this.

"You're right. Besides, I can't really stay away from being Iron Man." Tony opened his coat to reveal a gray armor underneath. "I started building this to keep my mind off things. It can't take on a tank but it could protect me from a knife or a gun."

Pepper had to chuckle. "How did you get the materials?"

"It's amazing what you can find in dumpsters and the sewers." Tony sounding more like his old self.

"See? You can't resist being Iron Man, it's part of who you are."

"I guess. I want to set up a new company. I'm going to need some seed money and some business know how." Tony pondered.

"I can help you. Maybe, we can set up our own company."

"Sounds good but that means that you have to quit working for Danny and deal with me and my issues again. I can't stop being an alcoholic, I can only stop drinking."

"I think I can handle it." Pepper smirked. "Danny's a little boring anyway."

"With my brains and your business knowledge, we can rock this world."

"Together."

"Together."

The End


	2. The Bum and the Doctor

Here's part two. Many thanks to Silverheart09 for betareading this.

Billionaire Bum

Part Two

By Marie Nomad

It was warm and steamy as Tony got out of the shower and looked in the mirror. He felt a lot better after getting clean and he was with Pepper. He reached up and touched his lips, he didn't expect Pepper to kiss him out of the blue like that. In fact, he was expecting her to slap him back to his senses but he was glad that she didn't.

He wiped away the steam to see himself. He did look better but he still felt like he didn't recognize himself. No wonder Pepper nearly ran from him. For the first time in ages, he felt safe and comfortable but he still felt strange.

"Tony?" Pepper knocked on the door. "I got you some new clothes and you need them. I can't let you dress in those... rags."

"Okay." Tony had to smile. Pepper was acting normal, she was treating him like a person. She opened the door slightly and put the clothes in. They were basic jeans with a long sleeve shirt and a t-shirt to put over it. She also got him underwear and shoes. "You got everything. Must've cost a lot."

"Tony, please. Unlike you, I am... frugal. Think of it as an investment in you."

"All right." Tony felt a little awkward accepting charity from someone he loved but he couldn't start a new company looking like a bum. "So, did you tell Mr. Rand that you are working with me now?" he asked as he put on the clothes. He started to feel better all ready.

"Yes, he said that if you want help, feel free to ask him. He might even do business with us down the line."

"Good to know." Tony stared at himself in the mirror.

"Do the clothes fit? I tried to find the best possible size but you are thin."

"I'm okay." Tony grabbed a razor and started to shave his beard off. Pepper was not fond of beards, hot goatees perhaps, but not beards. He quickly shaved the beard off and opened the door.

Pepper beamed. "You look much better." She rubbed his face.

"I feel better. A little nervous about getting back my life but I can do it."

"I wanted to know, what made you want to be sober again?"

He took a deep breath. "I had the weirdest dream. You see, it all began on a really cold night."

XXX

Tony felt warm as he drank his bottle of booze. He had to pawn his coat but it was worth it.

"You need to get inside." A middle aged man said. "You looks sick."

"What'cha think you are? A doctor?" Tony snapped.

"Actually, yes, I am." The man smirked. "Listen to me, you cannot drink your life away like that. But, you know that already, don't you?"

"Blah blah blah... I used ta ha everything but now... nuthin! Everynes better off wth me nver born. Just leave me alone."

"You have many things to do... perhaps, an intervention is in order." The middle aged man started to chant some weird words and Tony blacked out.

He woke up and it was warmer. "Where am I?" Tony wondered. He paused. "Wait a second, I can think."

"Yes, that's called being sober." The strange man sighed. "Your wish is granted, Tony Stark is never born."

"Now wait a second, nothing can make me go all sober like that and how did you know who I am?"

"I'm magic."

"Right." Tony felt his chest and opened his shirt to see his arc reactor was gone and all that was left was his chest. "My reactor!"

"You never got hit with shrapnel and so you never built the reactor."

"Actually, I just shrank it and... why does it matter? This is one weird hallucination." Tony sighed. "Wait, is it like that movie?"

"I got inspired by it. Want to see the world without the once great Tony Stark?"

"Might as well." Tony shrugged as he followed him. "So, what's your name, Clarence?"

"I am Dr. Strange! I am the Sorcerer Supreme and yes, I am a doctor not an angel in training." Dr. Strange introduced himself.

"A doctor and a sorcerer? In what? Voodoo 101?"

"No, that's Brother Voodoo. I am more into mysticism. Never mind, this is not about me. It is about you, or rather, a world without you."

"Oh well, this is going to be one fun hallucination." Tony followed Dr. Strange. He looked around at the same dark bleak street. "Wow, this is such a change."

"You are right. We need a change in setting. Come! See the consequences of your nonexistence!" Dr. Strange bellowed as his hands lit up.

"You are such a ham." Tony observed as he stood in a middle of a whirlwind and he reappeared in front of Stark Towers. He looked up to see that the sign had changed. "Stane Industries? STANE INDUSTRIES? What the hell is this?"

"Well, without you, Obadiah Stane had taken over your father's company without any restrictions and just changed the name." Dr. Strange said as he got out a magazine and handed it to Tony.

"Where did you get this?" Tony asked as he flipped through the Newsweek Magazine.

"Magic."

"Right." Tony paused when he saw the weapons made. "Wait a second. I built some of these weapons. I thought they shouldn't exist when I am not born."

"Hmmm... many innovations are built at the same time. Two men on opposite countries had built the first radio without talking to each other. Of course, some of your weapons would have been built." Dr. Strange said.

Tony didn't know if he should be relieved or depressed that some of the weapons he had made over the years would have been built anyway. "Joy." He muttered as he reached into his pocket for his flask. Dr. Strange grabbed the flask and held on to it.

"Can you at least stay sober while we are on this quest?" Dr. Strange snapped as his hand shook slightly.

"Fine."

"Good." Dr. Strange made the flask vanish.

"Show off." Tony stared at the magazine. "Wait a second... what's with the Avengers. They look so Military-ish."

"Ah... well, in this world, the Avengers are more of a secret organization that is an offshoot of SHIELD. None of them are even public."

"What are you talking about? Thor's a god and everyone knows about him. Janet and Hank... they showed off their powers at a conference. Steve, he really didn't have a life. Bruce was exposed."

"You were the first one to shake off the secret identity." Dr. Strange pointed to Tony. "When you revealed yourself, you inspired many people to be open superheroes. This lack of secrecy actually let the public trust all heroes a little more."

"I... I didn't know." Tony confessed as he put the magazine in his pocket. They stared out into the sky for a second.

"Are you curious about the fates of your friends?" Dr. Strange asked after a moment.

"I'm sure they're fine without me. Rhodey and Pepper had to put their lives on hold for me. Rhodey put his career on the line for me lots of times and Pepper... she would have had lots of friends and someone who can love her without putting her life in danger."

"Oh really."

"Yes, really. I know them. All I did was get in the way." Tony lamented as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Why don't we confirm it? My All Seeing Eye of Agamotto shall lead us to your friends. Come!" Dr. Strange beckoned as he held out his hand.

"Yeah, yeah." Tony grabbed his hand and the two vanished.

Tony found himself in a dark alleyway. "So, why are we here?"

"We are in Philadelphia." Dr. Strange said as the two walked out of the alleyway and into a parking lot. Tony noticed that they are standing in front of a factory. "We wait here."

"For what?" Tony shivered. "Can I have my flask now? It's cold out here."

"Alcohol doesn't make you warmer. It makes you colder."

"You could just say no."

"I make speeches, I am a doctor." Dr. Strange said and a group of men came out of the front entrance. "I shall make us invisible to them just hold on to my hand." He gestured and the workers just walked by.

"Okay, so where's... Rhodey?" Tony saw his best guy friend walking by with a beard and carrying a lunchbox. "What is he doing here? He's a pilot not a factory worker."

"I'm not sure." Dr. Strange said as they followed the group.

"I'm going to ask him." Tony let go of Dr. Strange's hand and went up to the group. "Rhodey!"

Dr. Strange slapped himself on the head. "Idiot."

"Who the hell are you?" Rhodey said, "And how the hell do you know my name?"

Tony gulped as Rhodey's coworkers surrounded him. "I... I thought I knew you. From MIT."

"I went there but I dropped out."

"Why? I thought you wanted to be in the Air Force?"

"How- look, I partied a little too hard and I dropped out. Now, leave me alone, I got a train to catch." Rhodey pushed him out of the way.

Dr. Strange put his hand on his shoulder. "Be careful! You were lucky they didn't beat you up." He scolded.

"I don't get it. Rhodey's the boring one. He did everything he could to keep me in line, especially at MIT."

"And who introduced you to the art of the party?"

"Rhodey... but I don't understand how I could have made him boring."

"Well... perhaps seeing you get wasted all the time made him feel guilty and had to cut back just for your sake." Dr. Strange suggested, "It's funny how that a friendship can change people in the most unusual of ways."

"Yeah. Rhodey loves being in the Air Force. He is an awesome pilot."

"He's not now. He was never a pilot."

"Let's go. I can't stand to see any more."

"Let's see your Pepper." Dr. Strange suggested as he chanted some words.

They reappeared in front of an apartment complex and walked through the hallways. Tony glanced Dr. Strange's hands. "Say... I was wondering... "

"You were wondering why my hands were shaking. I used to be the finest neurosurgeon in the world. They said that my hands are masterful. I was well respected. One day, my car was hit by a drunk driver... I couldn't perform surgery anymore." Dr. Strange sighed.

Tony looked down. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. Anyway, I have moved on into the mystic arts. Granted, not many people believe in magic but it is a good life." Dr. Strange stared at his hands.

"Glad to see that you moved on."

"You can move on too. Come, we have to see how Pepper is doing." Dr. Strange gestured. "Ah, here we are." He pointed to a door that said, 'Hogan'.

"Hogan? Don't tell me that they- that's impos- they didn't even date!" Tony sputtered out.

Before Dr. Strange can reply, there was yelling from the door.

"You jerk! I am sick of this!" Pepper's voice came out.

"It was just a kiss."

"I'm tired. I'm going out."

"You're not going anywhere."

"Yes, I am." Pepper stormed out and ran down the hallway.

"Pepper... I have to talk to her."

"She doesn't know you. You don't exist." Dr. Strange ordered.

"I don't care." Tony pulled away and chased after her. He found her just outside sobbing on the sidewalk. She looked different somehow, older, more tired. "Are you okay?"

"Who are you?" Pepper jumped up. "Where did you come from?" She studied Tony and added, "I don't have any change."

Tony's heart broke. She didn't recognize him, all she saw was a bum. "I... I was just wandering around. I saw you crying. What's wrong?"

"Just... nothing. Nothing's wrong." Pepper wiped her tears with her hand. "Just go away."

"What if I tell you that I know all about you? That you are allergic to strawberries and that you have a shoe budget."

"Are you a stalker?" Pepper glared at him.

"No! I'm... a guardian angel." Tony made up and he saw Dr. Strange slapping himself on the forehead.

"You are crazy."

"That' s what everyone tells me. Look, I know that you are afraid of having someone pity you but don't worry, I won't. Look at me, I have nothing. You should be pitying me."

Pepper laughed a little. "I think I'm crazy now. It's my husband."

"If he hurts you, I will kill him." Tony vowed. He wouldn't believe that Happy would even touch Pepper but he wasn't sure what to think of in this weird world without him.

"No! It's... he's a nice guy but I don't love him."

"Then, why did you marry him?"

"I was lonely. All I had was my work and one day, Happy proposed to me and I just accepted. We tried to make it work but Happy kept on trying to start businesses and we lost so much money and now he's cheating on me and I can't take it!"

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It's nice to talk to someone about this. I don't know if I can make it on my own."

"I'm sure you can, Pepper. You are the strongest woman I know."

Pepper's face paled. "How did you know my name?"

"Guardian angel." Tony answered as he grinned. "I have to go and do some guardian angel stuff." Tony ran off and Dr. Strange grabbed him.

"Guardian angel?" Dr. Strange asked as he pulled him away.

"I had to think of something." Tony stared at Pepper for the longest time. "I want to go back. I want to live." He grabbed the doctor by the shirt. "Undo my wish! I want to live!"

"You were not living in your world."

"I am going to change that! I have to change that! I want to see my friends again! I WANT TO LIVE!" Tony begged as he collapsed onto his knees and wept.

XXX

Tony woke up feeling like he was run over by a tank. He glanced down to see his reactor was there. "Where am I?" He whispered as he struggled to stay awake. He saw Dr. Strange in a regular lab coat looking down at him. "Huh?"

"Looks like you pulled through, you had a long night."

"Do I exist?"

"Looks that way. You are in my private clinic. You are safe here, Mr. Stark." Dr. Strange said as he looked at his chart. "You really did a number on yourself but don't worry about that."

Tony held his head. That dream felt so real. Was it a message from someone? "I want to stop being a bum. I want to stop drinking but I don't know how. I need help."

"I can help you as long as you can help yourself." Dr. Strange said. "Just get some rest. We have a long detox program ahead of us."

"Thanks."

XXX

"I spent some time at Dr. Strange's clinic and that was it." Tony finished. "He helped me with some meditation as well as some physical therapy. He's pretty good at martial arts."

"That's... incredible." Pepper muttered. "Was that really a hallucination?"

"I don't know. One day, I left to support myself and start making my own armor. I tried to visit but the clinic was gone like it never existed. I don't know what to think after that. All I know, is that he saved my life."

"At least you are back." Pepper kissed him again. "And I was never married to Happy."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Meanwhile, a lone man stood watching the two kiss. "May the Guardian Spirits protect you." Dr. Strange said as he watched using his magic eye.

The End?


End file.
